2019 PGA Show Driver Bonanza

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My big question for 2019 is the G410. The G400, to me, doesn't feel like it has been out that long. Can Ping deliver the magic in back to back releases?

And what makes this launch MORE interesting is that they said they can’t beat the G400 Max right now, so not launching a replacement for it. Logically, this means that the others HAVE been made better. How do you beat the others??? They’re SO good.

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And what makes this launch MORE interesting is that they said they can’t beat the G400 Max right now, so not launching a replacement for it. Logically, this means that the others HAVE been made better. How do you beat the others??? They’re SO good.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I'll believe it when I see it. I'm not going to complain about lowered prices on G400s.

Also, the new colors on the G410 line, are awfully reminiscent to the red used by Nike. I really want to know what tech Ping bought from Nike patents, and is that what we are starting to see in the "blueprint", i500, g700 lines. Especially since those clubs have been so much of a departure from Ping clubs of past.

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... If you have been fit in the last few years, I don't really see any of these drivers significantly outperforming the top drivers. Flash isn't gonna be significantly better then an Epic, M4/5 isn't gonna be significantly better than the M3/4. G400 ad F8 is right there with them of course. Sure, you may find 1.3 more yards and 126 rpm's less spin resulting in a very modest boost, which for some is enough. I imagine the F9 may provide a boost in performance over the F8, the TS Series will be significantly better than previous Titleist drivers and I think the 180ST is gonna be significantly better than previous Mizuno drivers. If I get a few more yards and a little less spin, as well as slightly better performance on mishits with my F9, I will consider that a success.

... I play new drivers every year and rarely have I found one that made a significant leap in performance. SLDR and Epic come to mind, and then the next year everyone catches up. Most of the time it is a new look, sound or feel that gives me a mental boost, as in it's just more fun sometimes to play something new. And if you hit everything every year, sometimes you will find lightening in a bottle. No rhyme or reason for a big increase in performance but sometimes it just inexplicably happens. And of course, there are always forum members that have not "upgraded" in several years and for them, 2019 should be a real Bonanza. These are the players I write reviews for, nit someone that bought a G400, F8 or Rogue last year.

Point taken - I generally will upgrade driver every three years. And since I’m usually a year behind I appreciate archived reviews.

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I'm loving the excitement around the drivers. I've been really interested in hitting them all and watching reviews of them. My initial thoughts after a couple of sessions at the local shop is this:

Callaway Flash: Nothing special...same as the last 3 Callaway's in my opinion. Save your money and go buy an Epic.

Callaway Flash Sub Zero: I own the Epic Sub zero and I can't say anything bad about this club except for I still feel like is punishes my mishits more than i would like. Tested it straight against my Epic Sub Zero and there was maybe 2 yards difference...but that could have just been the strikes more than the club. No noticeable ball speed difference or spin.

Cobra F9: Feel was really good. Couldn't get the distance I was looking for out of it consistently. Its dispersion front to back was more than I am okay with. Looks gimmicky to me, until you put it down behind the ball then it looks great.

Mizuno 190G: This is the one i'm most excited to hit and haven't hit it yet...

Ping G410: This could sneak in to the bag...looking forward to hitting it.

Taylormade M5: The look is stunning if you like busy and a little flashy. I personally do not like the feel of this driver. Never can produce good numbers with a TM Driver...the M1 was the best TM driver I have hit still.

Taylormade M6: Better that the M5 in feel but still not great numbers for me. I just don't like the feel of the club.

Titleist TS2: Great feel, great sound, great performance but just leaves me wanting a little more distance due to the spin rates I get.

Titleist TS3: Front runner for going in the bag this year. Love everything about it. The sound, the feel, the distance, the forgiveness.

I think my top 3 are:

- TS3

- Mizonu ST 190G

- Ping G410 Plus

I'm really looking forward to seeing what some of the guys without full bag deals put in.

I'm loving the excitement around the drivers. I've been really interested in hitting them all and watching reviews of them. My initial thoughts after a couple of sessions at the local shop is this:

Callaway Flash: Nothing special...same as the last 3 Callaway's in my opinion. Save your money and go buy an Epic.

Callaway Flash Sub Zero: I own the Epic Sub zero and I can't say anything bad about this club except for I still feel like is punishes my mishits more than i would like. Tested it straight against my Epic Sub Zero and there was maybe 2 yards difference...but that could have just been the strikes more than the club. No noticeable ball speed difference or spin.

Cobra F9: Feel was really good. Couldn't get the distance I was looking for out of it consistently. Its dispersion front to back was more than I am okay with. Looks gimmicky to me, until you put it down behind the ball then it looks great.

Mizuno 190G: This is the one i'm most excited to hit and haven't hit it yet...

Ping G410: This could sneak in to the bag...looking forward to hitting it.

Taylormade M5: The look is stunning if you like busy and a little flashy. I personally do not like the feel of this driver. Never can produce good numbers with a TM Driver...the M1 was the best TM driver I have hit still.

Taylormade M6: Better that the M5 in feel but still not great numbers for me. I just don't like the feel of the club.

Titleist TS2: Great feel, great sound, great performance but just leaves me wanting a little more distance due to the spin rates I get.

Titleist TS3: Front runner for going in the bag this year. Love everything about it. The sound, the feel, the distance, the forgiveness.

I think my top 3 are:

- TS3

- Mizonu ST 190G

- Ping G410 Plus

I'm really looking forward to seeing what some of the guys without full bag deals put in.

nice summary and agree with just about everything there.

One thing of note, I saw Rick Shiels review of the G410 plus and he complained about the sound, I heard it hit several times on the Demo Day Range today at the PGA Show and it sounded just fine to me. No loud sound associated with the previous G30 and other models.

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nice summary and agree with just about everything there. One thing of note, I saw Rick Shiels review of the G410 plus and he complained about the sound, I heard it hit several times on the Demo Day Range today at the PGA Show and it sounded just fine to me. No loud sound associated with the previous G30 and other models.

Sound is so relevant. When I was younger and could hit the ball a long ways I loved to have the loudest driver possible. Now I want it muted and more thud like (sneak up on people). To each his own.

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For me it's going to be interesting to see if the TS drivers from Titleist, which clearly were a big improvement for Titleist drivers, can compete with this next wave of new drivers.

I think the Srixon 785 and Titleist TS series will still perform as good as all of the new releases, but they might be overshadowed simply due to release timing

They will and are. I’ve seen several guys in recent fittings have the ts line beat out Callaway and Tm. Ping and Cobra will be where the true test comes in imo. The rest aren’t delivering any significant speed improvements despite the marketing promises. Some especially those who don’t make consistent contact (even if in the same spot) or center contact will see some increase over previous releases.

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Cobra F9 and TS3 are the top on my list. I would have the G410 up there but my swing requires the LST. When they release the LST I'll try it alongside the Cobra and the TS3. I's not like I need a new driver, but I definitely want one...

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I would venture that most of us never really "need" anything when it comes to clubs. Just sayin'.

... I would say when I wear out the grooves on my wedges, I do need new ones. Other than that I would have to agree. The other hundreds of club changes I have made over the last 35 years were not made on a need basis.